The present invention relates in general to a protector pad particularly suited for use by volleyball players and the like. In particular, the present invention comprises a protector pad having a cushioned inner section that fits over a wearer""s knee or elbow joint and further includes an attachment strap for attaching the pad below the joint such that the flexibility of the wearer""s knee or elbow joint is not compromised.
Conventional knee pads that protect the knees while the wearer is working or playing sports are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,303 to Atwater discloses a protective pad comprising an elastic sleeve having sufficient length to cover the knee and adjacent portions of the calf and thigh of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,689 to Dancyger teaches a knee pad useful for construction workers and the like having a substantially egg-shaped cup that conforms to the knee and, in the preferred embodiment, is designed to provide easy swiveling around the knee without slippage. The knee pad taught by Dancyger further includes two strapping means for attaching the knee pad to the knee of the user.
Other protective padding useful for protecting the wearer from damage during contact with the ground or other surface includes pads disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,209 to Bainbridge et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,350 to McFarlane, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,376 to Ritter. The protective padding taught by Bainbridge et al. comprises flexible, outer casings of porous, breathable, inelastic material overfilled with resilient beads of elastic material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,350 to McFarlane, directed to a molded, elastomeric knee pad having a multi-segmented, integrally molded shape, further includes a retention strap positioned on the lower ⅔ of the pad for holding the pad over the knee. Ritter teaches a knee pad with a cushion section having a fluid-filled chamber filled with a gas, a liquid, a gel or another fluid.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is directed to a protector pad comprising an elastomeric material primarily for use by volleyball players and the like for cushioning a human knee or elbow joint from contact with the ground or other surface.
The protector pad of the present invention is designed to permit easy flexibility and moveability of the joint over which it is attached and, in one embodiment, comprises a concave back side conforming to the shape of the knee or elbow joint and a front side having a convex shape but including a generally flat cushion pad. The protector pad further includes an outer section, comprising an elastomeric foam or the like permitting the pad to fit snugly around the wearer""s knee or elbow joint, and an inner section comprising a substantially flat synthetic polymer or the like, such that the pad protects the wearer""s joint from contact with the ground or other hard surface while simultaneously reducing friction between the pad and a contacting surface, permitting the wearer""s elbow or knee to easily slide when the padded joint contacts the ground or other hard surface. The protector pad of the present invention further includes a unitary attachment strap extending over the lower ⅔ of the pad such that the attachment strap is positioned below the knee or elbow joint when the pad is attached to the wearer, permitting the wearer""s knee or elbow to be unrestrictedly flexed when the pad is attached to, and covers, the wearer""s joint. In one embodiment of a protector pad made according to the present invention, the unitary attachment strap is integrally incorporated with the outer section of the pad such that the outer section of the pad and the attachment strap are made as one unit.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved, flexible protector pad to attach to, and cover, a wearer""s knee or elbow joint. The protector pad of the present invention comprises an outer section, comprising an elastomeric foam or the like and further comprising a unitary attachment strap, and an inner section comprising a substantially flat synthetic polymer or the like, and further comprising a cushion section having sufficient thickness to protect the wearer""s knee or elbow from contact with the ground or other hard surface while simultaneously reducing friction between the pad and the ground surface, such that the wearer""s joint covered by the pad slides freely across the surface with which it comes into contact.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon review of the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are briefly described as follows.